My Hot Cocoa Bar

Finally, I did it! It was very low key but so much fun. My friend was coming to visit yesterday and so I told a few other friends that we were doing hot cocoa at my house and though only two were able to make it, it was really fun to do. It was kind of a birthday celebration for my 30th, that is coming this weekend. My friend, Asenath, brought some cute peppermint/chocolate, stirring sticks, and even surprised me with a wonderful gift of Mary Kay make up, she is my Mary Kay Lady and I love her for it! It is so nice to get some things just for me. I had a great day chatting with friends, talking about babies, and thinking about baby showers. It was so wonderful and we ended the night by having Asenath and her husband over for dinner, it was a great birthday celebration!

Hot Cocoa Maker and Other Things

It has been a long time since I have posted, I promise I haven't forgotten about this blog, but boy have I been busy. I have had a lot of little trials that have taken up most of my time and haven't been able to be very creative. I am pregnant with a little girl and she takes up most of my energy, she has quite a personality and moves quite abruptly. I'm a night person and so is she so that has been fun to not be the only one up at night. She is the kind of baby that moves and someone sitting across the room could see my belly rumble. I am working on making her a baby quilt and am excited to get her nursery put together. I have been blessed to recieve lots of clothes from friends, a crib, and I am borrowing some gear from another friend. It is nice to know people care about me and my baby, and though I have a ways to go I can't wait until she gets here. I always thought I would have three kids, but this little girl is working hard on being my youngest. This pregnancy is hard on me but I am excited for our new bundle of joy due mid March.

Here is the latest and greatest for me, I got my long awaited hot cocoa machine, and it is everything I hoped it would be. I need to have some friends over to really test it out but I have enjoyed a cup or two over the last few days.



This is an awful picture of me, with my double chin and all, but can't you see the joy in my eyes:)


I also got a laminator and I am excited about all the things I need to laminate. I will be again making a pre-made scrapbook for my little girl and got the album now...lots to do but now to find the energy and motivation...nesting stage come soon!

Yummy Mashed Potatoes

I know this isn't new to most people but it was a cool find for me so I will post it. Quite a while ago we had potatoes we needed to use and so we made some mashed potatoes but we didn't want them plain and I didn't want to make gravy so I added some ranch dressing and cheese to taste and whipped it in my potatoes and it turned out great! If you don't want cheese and ranch try sour cream and garlic salt, and chives if you have them. It is a great side dish and a delicious way to use your potatoes.

Tin foil Dinner

There is nothing like a good tin foil dinner. I peel my potatoes and dice them up along with some carrots then add a little onion flake and some ground beef. Wrap in tin foil, then in damp newspaper or damp paper towels, then in tin foil again. I bake at 375 for about 45 minutes or until done. We still haven't done this camping out here yet but plan to someday, this is a good one to have in the fire while you set up camp.

Enchilada Rolls

Enchilada Rolls

4 cups shredded cooked chicken
1 can cream of mushroom soup, reduced fat
1/2 cup sour cream
1 can diced green chilies
1/2 cup shredded cheese(more or less to taste or sight)
16 crescent rolls

Combine soup, sour cream and chilies in a small bowl. Pour about 1/3 to 1/2 of the mixture in with the chicken and add cheese. Stir and add more if too dry but don't make it too wet or soupy. Put about 1/4 cup of mixture on each crescent roll at the wide part and roll up carefully pinching closed any openings so that moisture doesn't leak out. Place on a stone or pan and cook at 375 for about 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown.(Optional: brush with butter) With remaining soup mixture add a little milk until the consistency of gravy, heat and pour on top of cooked roll as a sauce. Serve with steamed veggies and a salad.

I got this idea from a few other recipes that I didn't have all the ingredients for. They turned out really yummy:)

Practical Sewing

I have been doing some practical sewing lately. I made a ottoman slip cover for our ottoman and I made a reusable shopping tote as well. My Mom came out for a visit and she was able to pack some fabric that I had purchased when I was first married in hopes to reupholster this ugly car I had. I didn't end up doing it since the car only lasted about 9 months but I just now figured out what to do with the fabric. I have a ton of this fabric so you will be seeing a lot of it.

The lovely shopping bag, it is so durable so it should last a lifetime

The ottoman before, this picture makes it look not so bad but it really was

The after, the fabric is so stiff and hard to iron so it is a little wrinkly

Doesn't it look a million times better and really brings out those nice legs the ottoman has, it also matches the chair in our living room better too.

Navajo Taco and a Closet

Foodie Moment: I thought I would share this meal idea. I found this on some blog, I don't remember where, but it was for Navajo taco's. Simply buy the big grands biscuits(I buy off brand) and flatten them out thin and fry them and they make great scones. We have done it a couple of times and put left over chili and toppings and it works out great. I usually have cheese and sour cream etc, but we were out so I just put lettuce and some ranch and boy was this tasty.

So since we have moved I have been moving things around here and there to make the most out of our space. We have this small closet that we use for our shoes and we most recently needed to add space to it for some pantry items like potatoes and onions. I noticed that we didn't need all the storage spots for the shoes so I was able to fold them up and sew them together to make them short and leave us with some floor space that we can get to easily. It turned out great and if we ever need them longer again we can just unpick the long stitches. I love having a sewing machine and being able to follow through with these little ideas I come up with every once in a while.

The before picture. Sorry I took it half way through. The one on the right is how long they were and the one on the left is after I sewed it.

After: Much better

I know it doesn't look like much but it is perfect for what we need it for:)